


when he smiled

by stop_breaking_my_heart_telltale



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Mitch is alive because fuck Lily, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:46:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stop_breaking_my_heart_telltale/pseuds/stop_breaking_my_heart_telltale
Summary: " ...And when Lily’s knife finally plunged deep into Louis’ shoulder and he let out an anguished cry, Clem saw red.She couldn’t remember the seething scream that bubbled from her lungs or yanking the used arrow from a walkers head and aiming, but before she could even think, the arrow shot through the side of the woman’s neck with a sickening sound..."Louis is horribly wounded after the defeat of the raiders.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, I’m trying my hand at writing some angsty clouis with an alternative look at how the fight could’ve gone. There’ll be more chapters in the future if anyone’s interested. I originally posted this on Tumblr and decided to put it on here, too.

Clem couldn’t see Lily.

And, fuck, after the explosion everything just… happened so fast.

But, that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was that everyone had gathered into the school, ready to attack. Even Mitch and Willy had managed to drag Omar in and keep him hidden while they waited for the raiders to barge through their front door and into their trap. The log took out two of them, leaving Abel to chase the group up the stairs. It was a mess of frantic heartbeats, curses and struggling against the one-armed man, but Clem managed to shove him out the window after AJ went all out with the fire poker, stabbing the gross old man several times.

Clem carefully peered out the window and saw her.

Lily and one of her men had a hold of Tenn.

They moved quickly. Her and AJ practically stumbled out of the burning room and carefully headed outside where Clem drew her bow. Lily and the man were roughly pulling a struggling Tenn over to a cage. 

Before Clem could get her bow ready, a violent cry broke through the air as Mitch charged the man from the side, sending the two tumbling to the ground as Mitch’s fist collided with the man’s face until there was nothing but blood spurting. Through it all, Tenn broke free from the off-guard Lily just as Clem fired.

The arrow pierced Lily’s leg and she fell back before she could reach Mitch.

Tenn grabbed at Mitch’s sleeve and begged him to stop, breaking Mitch of his bloodthirsty anger, and the two ran to join Willy and Aasim, who were firing arrows from the top floor.

Clem continued to shoot from her and AJ’s hiding spot, hitting both raiders and the walkers stumbling through the gate. She saw Louis and Violet, weapons in hand, killing walkers back to back and watching out for one another.

However, more and more walkers kept barging in, and most getting a hold of the fallen raiders trying to crawl to safety.

“Shit!” Clem called out. “Everyone inside! Now!”

Violet rushed at Clem, slicing the head of a walker in half on her way. “Fuck!”

Behind her, she could hear Mitch cursing and Ruby hollering something about Omar’s leg. Clem shot another arrow, killing a walker, but it seemed that for every one she successfully killed, three more replaced it. She cursed under her breath, turning to AJ, who stayed beside her, shooting walkers. 

She spotted Louis. He knocked over another walker, meeting her eye and calling out, “Go! I’m right behind you!”

“Hurry!”

Quickly, she hurried into the shelter of the school. 

“AJ, c’mon!” 

 

* * *

 

AJ didn’t follow her, though. The boy had his gaze fixated on Abel, grunting and crawling towards him.

 “You fff-ffucking little shit!” he croaked.

With a broken leg and a missing arm, he had no chance. AJ reached for his gun, holding his breath. He had promised Clem that he wouldn’t kill the man that haunted his nightmares. After all, he lost.

Still, he pointed the gun at the suffering man, thoughts buzzing with rights and wrongs. This man was a monster, and monsters die. This man would hurt them if he lived, even without an arm and a leg. 

But, for the first time, AJ hesitated. 

_Don’t hesitate._

_Always aim for the head._

Before he could pull the trigger, AJ was yanked back by his coat. “Ah!” 

“C’mere!” 

The woman had a hold of him and his gun.

* * *

 

Inside, Clem was in the office with everyone.

Everyone…

She turned toward the door.

“Where’s Louis?” Panic settled in. 

Violet shook her head. “Shit, I thought he followed me!”

“Clem-”

“Shit!”

Clem turned to Tenn, noticing his wide, frightened eyes searching the room. Immediately she knew what he was looking for. 

Her insides twisted. 

“AJ-!”

He was just-

“Clementine!” Lily’s shout stopped Clem in her tracks. “Clementine! Get your ass out here! I know you’re in there!”

“Fuck! Clem!” Violet grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the broken window.

There stood Lily, her arm wrapped around AJ’s neck with her gun to his head. She seemed to vibrate with furious pain as she glared at the building.

“Your kid’s right here, Clementine!” Lily snarled. “You can have him back if you come out!”

“Clem,” Tenn’s quivering voice sounded beside her. 

“I’ll shoot him! I will!” 

“Lily! Don’t you fucking dare!”

“You want him alive!?” Lily exclaimed, pressing the gun right to AJ’s temple. “Then do as I say!”

A million thoughts ran through Clem’s brain. None coherent, none plausible.

“Fuck, I’ll kill that bitch!” Mitch exclaimed, ready to go out there before Aasim and Willy stopped him.  

“We can’t just charge her! She’ll shoot him!” Aasim argued.

“She’ll shoot him anyway if we  _don’t_  charge her!” Mitch snapped back. 

“Fuck! Fuck!” 

“We need a plan-” Violet was cut off. 

“Clementine!” Lilly shouted. “I’ll count to three! If you and your friends aren’t down here, he gets a bullet in his head!”

“No!” cried Tenn.

“Oh shit…” Violet hissed. “Louis!” 

“ONE!”

Clem’s heart practically broke right out of her chest when she spotted Louis through the window, crouched down, avoiding walkers and carefully approaching Lily. 

“TWO!”

Clem shoved away from the window and ran faster than ever before.

“Clementine, wait-!”

“THREE-AUGH!”

By the time she reached the staircase, a shot rang out.

“AJ!”

* * *

 

 

Louis wasn’t thinking. 

 Everything moved so fast; his swings at the walkers and his frantic search for anyone needing help. When he didn’t see anyone else left besides himself, Clem and AJ, he was supposed to hurry inside. 

But, when he saw AJ neglect to follow Clem and approached the man with the broken leg instead, he didn’t. 

And thank God he didn’t. 

He had no qualms attacking this woman, tackling her to the ground.

The second you put a gun to the temple of a young child, the gloves come off. 

He wasn’t letting AJ die because of some vindictive woman and her army fantasy.

Not AJ.

* * *

 

Bursting through the front doors, Clem spotted him instantly.

AJ was curled up on his knees, hands pressed over his ringing ears and face twisted with agony. Luckily, no bullet wounds in him. Practically jumping off the stairs, Clem rushed to AJ.

“AJ!”

When she reached him, she realized Louis had Lily pinned a few feet away, and walkers surrounded them. 

“No!” Clem cried out. “Walkers!”

Violet, Mitch, Aasim, and Willy charged out, weapons drawn and began taking down as many walkers as possible. Within the mess, Clementine pulled AJ into her arms and shoved past the walkers to the safety of the dorm, leaving him with Ruby, Tenn, and Omar.

“What’s happenin’ out there!?” exclaimed Ruby. She had blood smeared on her hands from patching up Omar’s leg. 

“Walkers are everywhere!”

“The raiders-!”

“They’re dead, or gone, but- fuck! We need you out here, Ruby!”

“Go,” Omar urged. “I’m fine, just go!”

Ruby nodded firmly, pulling out her weapon. Clem turned to AJ, who still kept his ears covered. 

“AJ, watch Omar.”

He did very little to protest. 

Outside, Clem’s eyes searched frantically for Louis. She found him struggling with Lily, an expression of absolute fury on his face, unlike anything she’s ever seen on him. 

“Keep the walkers off him!” Clem shouted. She pulled out her knife and fought her way towards the struggle. 

* * *

 

Louis forced most of his weight onto Lily’s chest. He fought to keep her pinned,  but she managed to curve her non-wounded leg up and land a blow to his gut.

Louis grunted, losing his balance and loosening his grip on one of her wrists. The result was a well-found blow to his jaw. Blood sputtered from his mouth and dripped onto Lily’s face.

With adrenaline and the will to fight pulsing through him, Louis’ dull nails clawed into Lily’s face and throat. 

Her response was a knife in his side. 

Pain enveloped his body.

* * *

 

Through the mass of walkers, Clem watched in absolute horror as Lily fought Louis off of her and reversed their positions. Grabbing her knife, Lily held it above her head and thrust it down towards Louis.

“Louis!”

The knife hit the ground beside his head as Louis ducked forward, grunting in pain. Lily rammed her knee into his stomach, right next to the fresh wound. This time, she put all her weight into the punch she landed on his cheek. It left him dazed, the world shifting between black and orange, throbbing, aching.

The woman above him stuck again, and again, and again.

* * *

 

Lily didn’t just want him dead.

No, her fury was hot, blinding.

It reflected in the flames of her eyes.

The world had collapsed.

Her people were dead.

She had nothing but the rushing sound in her ears and the boy under her. 

She wanted to make him unrecognizable, nothing but flesh, blood, and dirt…

* * *

 

And when Lily’s knife finally plunged deep into Louis’ shoulder and he let out an anguished cry, Clem saw red.

She couldn’t remember the seething scream that bubbled from her lungs or yanking the used arrow from a walkers head and aiming, but before she could even think, the arrow shot through the side of the woman’s neck with a sickening sound.

Lily shot up, dropping her knife and holding her neck. She fell atop a horrified Louis, twitching and gurgling blood.

Then, Clem watched as Louis went limp. Even though the fire burned around her, ice ran through her veins and her heart plummeted into her stomach.

“No!” she cried.

She ran to them, yanking Lily off him and grasping his swelling face in her trembling hands. “Louis!” 

He didn’t respond. 

“Fuck! Clem!” Violet killed a walker from behind Clem before rushing to her side. “Goddammit, Louis!” 

Clem shook her head. “No!” She pressed her palm against his neck. His pulse beat slow and harm compared to hers, so panicked and distraught. His chest rose and shuttered with every tiny gasp that escaped his lips.

“Is-is he-”

“We need to get him to Ruby! Now!”

“Ruby!” Violet called over. “Mitch! Aasim!”

“Oh God!” Ruby gasped, running to the call of her name. “No!”

The rest was a blur for her. Clementine watched the last of the walkers fall from arrows to the head and the flames spread as Louis, wounded and unconscious, was carried in. 

Clem knew there couldn’t possibly be a word to describe how she felt in that moment. 

She turned to Lily’s body. 

Lily was dead. 

And Clem could do nothing more than take her knife and make sure she wasn’t ever, _ever_ coming back. 

* * *

 

_“Figured out what to call the song.”_

_“Oh?”  
_

_“’Clementine,’“ he grinned. “Obviously. You know, because I like fruit.  And… I like you even more. So…. there.”  
_

_Her eyes darted to his smile._

_“Gotta admit, of all the things I saw coming, you having a crush on me was not one of them.”_

_A crush…_

_What an understatement._

_He spoke, and all she could focus on was the movement of his lips. And when he smiled, so wide, so genuine, she was done for._

_She didn’t mean for the hum to escape her throat when she kissed him._

_Or the sigh._

_She kissed him._

_And she kissed him…_

“Clem…?”

_She kissed him…_

She’d been spacing out. 

The quiet was such a contrast.

Her gaze focused, searching over the various familiar faces for the source of the voice. Rosie rested beside her with her head in Clem’s lap.

AJ watched her cautiously, his hands pressing together nervously. His wide eyes flickered from her to the door. “Clem, can I go in?” he asked quietly. 

“No,” she replied. “We… we need to give Ruby space to work.”

“But, someone should be there with him,” protested AJ. “To tell him he’s okay and he’s gonna get better.” 

Clem sighed. “The best thing you can do for him right now, AJ, is to let Ruby concentrate on saving him.” She told not only him this, but herself. 

Clem wanted nothing more than to go in there and help Ruby, but she demanded that everyone but Aasim, who promised to shut up and hand her whatever she needed, to leave. 

No one was happy about it. 

“She’s right, AJ,” said Violet. “Ruby knows what she’s doing. She fixed you, remember?”

AJ nodded, though not entirely convinced. 

“Fuck!” Mitch kicked the wall. He ran his fingers through his messy hair before rubbing at his face. 

“Knock it off,” Violet scowled. “You’re not helping.”

“If we had all gone after that bitch, then this wouldn’t’ve happened!”

“Or,” Violet interjected. “More of us would be injured, or worse.” 

“We would’ve had a better chance! She wouldn’t have been able to handle all of us if we attacked at once!”

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda! It doesn’t matter anymore-”

“It doesn’t matter? Louis is fucking dying in there-!”

“I said, knock it the fuck off!”

“This is our fault-!”

“Stop!” Clem spoke, breaking the argument. 

Mitch stared at her before looking down at his feet. He uncrossed his arms and bit at his lips,  looking at the dry blood staining his fingertips. His face was a cocktail of rage and remorse. 

After a long silence, he murmured, “I’m not digging another grave.”

“Mitch-” Violet warned. 

He turned and walked away from them, muttering, “I won’t. Not another one.” 

They watched him go. 

Clem could see the panic settle on Willy’s face as he scrambled to his feet and followed Mitch down the hall. 

_I’m not digging another grave._

_I’m not digging another grave._

Heat pressed against the back of Clem’s throat.

“He’s just freaked out,” said Omar. He lay on the couch, drowsy, with his leg properly bandaged. His brows furrowed with worry. “I’m freaked out, too.” Omar closed his eyes, leaning back against the armrest. “Never been shot before… Hell, never seen Louis in such… bad shape.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” muttered Violet. 

“He…” Tenn stuttered. “he… couldn’t even open his eyes. O-or speak.”

“He’s gonna be okay, though, right?” AJ turned to Clem with worried hope reflecting in his stare. “Ruby’s gonna fix him like she did with me?”  He reached over and held onto her sleeve. “Clem?”

Clem said nothing. 

Neither did anyone else. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I got grabbed,” AJ murmured. “I was just… I saw that man, and I know you told me that I couldn’t have dibs on killing him but I just saw him there and I… I was gonna shoot him before I … before I got grabbed.” 
> 
> Clem’s mouth parted to speak, but before she could, AJ threw something onto the ground. If she had to guess, it was one of the toys Tenn gave him. 
> 
> His fists curled and he shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “I got grabbed and now Louis is gonna die and it’s my fault.”

The door finally opened, and out stepped Aasim.

AJ was at his side in a second.

“I wanna see Louis,” he demanded.

Aasim was taken back by the stern tone of the young boy. “Uh, sorry, buddy. Ruby’s still with him. No visitors, yet. Sorry.”

AJ puffed out his cheeks, eyeing the door. Clem noticed.

“Don’t,” she warned.

Violet stood from her seat on the floor beside Tenn and approached Aasim. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s breathing, but fuck, he’s lost a lotta blood,” Aasim shivered. “I mean, he just-” Aasim cleared his throat. “Ruby’s got him stitched up but he’s still out cold.”

“Shit,” Violet cursed. “What does she need?”

Aasim shrugged helplessly. “Uh, more water. And alcohol. And anything else we can get, I guess.”

“I’ll see what we can find.” Violet nodded, turning to Clem and AJ. “Tenn and I are gonna go grab our extra supplies. Wanna help, AJ?”

AJ nodded eagerly, looking for approval from Clem. 

“Be careful,” she told him. She shared a small, appreciative smile with Violet.

With them gone, Clem was left with a sleeping Omar and Aasim standing next to her awkwardly. 

With the way he was eyeing her, she could tell he wanted to say something.

“What is it?” she asked weakly. God, what if he was waiting for AJ to leave so that he could tell her something awful?

Aasim replied, “You don’t have to wait here. He’s in good hands. After all this shit, we don’t need any more walkers coming in, you know. So, maybe you can, I don’t know, go take care of that?”

“You want me to leave?”

He sighed. “What does waiting here do for him, Clem?”

Clem glared at him.

He held his hands up in defense. “I’m serious. You can’t see him anyway, so why not go be useful somewhere else.”

Clem knew he didn’t mean it coldly, but it still sent a pang of negativity straight through her. In her lap, Rosie whined. She stroked the dog’s fur absently. 

“Ruby is doing everything she can,” he said. “We can hear you guys fighting out here and it’s not helping. We need quiet, you know? To concentrate.”

Clem nodded absently.

He was right, though. There was so much that needed to be done. The bodies of the walkers and raiders needed to be thrown outside the walls and burned. The gate needed repair. They needed a plan for what was to come.

And there Clem sat.

She didn’t want to move.

She didn’t know if she could.

* * *

 

No one slept.

In fact, they didn’t even try.

Too many thoughts, too many worries.

So much blood.

There was too much to do.

The fires were put out, the bodies were burned outside the walls, the gates were patched up, and many, many arrows were recovered.

How… unreal it all seemed.

Hours ago, there was nothing but chaos, and now…

No one said a word.

* * *

 

“Clem?”

He spoke so softly that she almost didn’t hear him.

“Hm?”

She turned to look at him from where she lay on her bed, squinting through the darkness of the room. AJ sat at the edge of his bed, staring down at the floor with shadows hiding his face from her. Even without a clear view, it wasn’t hard to see how AJ was coping with the current situation. 

As in, he wasn’t.

Throughout the night, Clem kept an extra close eye on him. Every time she became too preoccupied with what she was doing, he would try to sneak away and head back to Louis’ room. 

When the early morning sun threatened to break the horizon, Violet sent them to the dorms to get some much-needed rest. She promised to come right away if anything changed. 

Clem hadn’t wanted to, not until she could personally talk to Ruby about Louis’s condition. But, she never came out. As far as she knew, Ruby was still in there.

 How many hours had passed…?

“AJ?”

He finally looked at her.

“Is… Is Louis gonna die because of me?”

Her eyes widened. “What?” She sat up, her arms aching from the stress and overworking they’d gone through.

“I got grabbed,” AJ murmured. “I was just… I saw that man, and I know you told me that I couldn’t have dibs on killing him but I just saw him there and I… I was gonna shoot him before I … before I got grabbed.” 

Clem’s mouth parted to speak, but before she could, AJ threw something onto the ground. If she had to guess, it was of the toys Tenn gave him.

His fists curled and he shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “I got grabbed and now Louis is gonna die and it’s my fault.”

“AJ, it’s not your fault.”

“It is, though.” AJ rubbed at his temple where the gun had been firmly pressed. “If I hadn’t done that then Louis wouldn’t be dying.”

“He’s…” Clem sighed. “He’s not dying.”

He didn’t believe her, but what else could she say?

“Then why won’t they let us see him? Why can’t I go talk to him?”

“He needs rest. He was…” Clem squeezed her eyes shut, grimacing as the horrible visions of Lily’s knife fly through her mind. “He’s hurt really bad, but he’s not dead. Aasim said he was still breathing.”

“That was hours ago.”

“And nothing’s changed.”

“But, maybe he’d wake up if we talked to him.”

“Maybe,” she agreed, “and we will get to talk to him, just… not right now.”

“Tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.”

That wasn’t good enough for him. AJ hopped off his bed and dragged himself to flop down beside her. “It’s not fair.”

“I know,” Clem frowned. “We just have to try and stay positive. We’re alive.  _Everyone_  is alive. We stood our ground and survived. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

He remained silent.

He shifted until he was curled up under her arm. With his words muffled by her jacket, he whispered, “I don’t want Louis to die…”

_“So, how do you feel about our imminent deaths?”_

Clem tightened her grip on him. 

_“We won’t necessarily die, of course…”_

AJ’s petite figure curled up against her stomach and chest, and soon, his breathing was even and calm.

_“We could always be kidnapped, injured, maimed…”_

Her eyes fluttered shut.

_“You know I’m here for you.”_

_That damn smile._

“Goddammit,” Clem hissed. 

Wetness spread beneath her eyelids.

* * *

 

The light dripped in through the curtains that morning, a great contrast against the shadows. Clem’s entire body felt heavy, as though her bones were full of wet cement, weighing her down against the bed. 

AJ was already awake, anxious and sipping on bitter coffee. He handed her the cup he made her. 

“Thanks.”

“It’s gross.”

“I know.” She drank it anyway. He hopped up next to her, scooting closer. 

Then, with the profanity of an old sailor, he spat, “I’m glad those fucking fucks are dead.”

It’s too earlier for this. 

“AJ-”

“I am,” he said firmly. Then, he grew worried. “But… what if there are more of them? What if they come for us again? What if they-”

A knock on the door. 

Coffee and conversation forgotten, AJ jumped up and yanked the door open. 

Violet stepped back, startled by the clash of the door and the wall. Clem forced herself up, limbs aching and her head slightly spinning.

“Sorry,” Violet apologized. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Clem shook her head. “You didn’t.” She tried not to stumble as she walked to her friend. 

Violet looked exhausted with the darkness surrounding her bloodshot eyes. Clem could see a bruise forming along her cheek, popping against her paler than usual skin. 

“We got the rest of the bodies cleared,” Violet told them. “Mitch and Willy are burning them now. And the gate is, well… not fixed, but it’ll work for now.” Then, she seemed to smile a bit. “Omar’s okay. He’s outside. Can’t walk too good without help, but he’s okay. Rosie’s keeping him company.”

“That’s good-”

“Can we see Louis now?” asked AJ, impatiently. 

Violet hesitated. “You can…”

“But?”

“But, Tenn’s in there right now. Ruby doesn’t want all of us crowding around him or in the way… just in case something happens.” Violet looked away.

“So, when can we see him?” AJ asked. 

“In a little bit.”

Clem’s concern grew as she studied Violet’s face. “Vi?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen him?”

“Yeah, I just left.” Violet shook her head. She didn’t need to say anymore. 

“Did you try talking to him?” asked AJ anxiously. 

“I did. He didn’t respond.”

“Oh…”

“Why don’t you guys go outside?” Violet suggested. “Check in with the others. Well, with whoever’s left out there. Tenn’ll come get you when it’s your turn.”

Clem agreed. AJ was still disappointed but reluctantly promised to not try and sneak into Louis’ room. Violet excused herself to go lie down while Clem and AJ headed outside. 

* * *

 

The first person she spotted was Omar sitting on the couch. He had his leg propped up and a ball in his hand. Rosie barked at him, demanding the ball. He threw it and she took off. 

Over by the gates, Mitch was dragging in a large, thick tree branch through the gate. 

The others, Clem assumed, were getting some much need rest. 

“Omar,” Clem greeted, approaching the boy. He turned and waved at them just as Rosie came back with the ball. 

“Ah, good girl!” Omar scratched her ears. He threw it again. AJ watched curiously. 

“How’s your leg?” Clem asked. 

“It’s throbbing, but not too bad. Ruby said I was lucky. The bullet went straight through. It was an easy fix. Well,” Omar scratched at his chin. “Maybe not an easy fix, but let’s just say it could be worse. After all, you don’t need two functioning legs to make a delicious meal.”

Rosie came back and dropped the ball. “Or, to play fetch.”  This time, Omar handed it to AJ.  “Go ahead, throw it.”

AJ eyed the ball curiously, surprised at how excited Rosie was to see he had it. Clem nudged his shoulder, encouraging him. 

He didn’t throw it far, but Rosie enjoyed it anyway.

“Nice! See if you can throw it down that way. Rosie likes to jump over those rocks.”

Clem grinned at the sight of AJ and Rosie, at how he laughed when she eagerly dropped the ball and wagged her little tail. She decided that this was a nice distraction for the moment, so she sat herself down on one of the benches to watch from a small distance. 

She inhaled deeply. The remains of smoke in the air were prominent, but the cool morning air felt good against her skin. 

She peered around. Violet was right, all the bodies were gone. Instinctively, she searched for where Lily had been. Even though she was gone, somehow, Clem could almost feel her angry presence. 

Lily hadn’t always been horrible, she knew that. Hell, she still used one of the damn hair ties she gave her. She had been sweet on her when she was little…

When she was little. Clem wasn’t little anymore. And Lily tried to kill Louis- fuck,  _almost_ killed Louis.

Clem tried to remember everything that happened. She could only remember the feelings. The pure, white-hot rage that sent that arrow flying through Lily’s neck. The total despair at Louis’ bloody and damn-near unrecognizable face. 

The cold on her skin when he didn’t respond to her cries. 

The helplessness of watching him disappear into the school.

Clem was startled when Mitch sat beside her, knife in one hand and an extremely long stick in the other. He briefly glanced at her, mumbling, “Hey.”

Clem quirked a brow. “Hey?”

He began carving chunks out of the wood, chips falling around him, but he said nothing.

Surprisingly, the silence wasn’t awkward, but it was curious.

Mitch began flipping his knife around as he examined the piece.

Clem watched.

The wind blew softly. Refreshing, she thought. Even with the stench of the previous battle.

Clem bit the inside of her cheek. She still couldn’t believe that they won. 

Sure, she was confident in their fighting abilities and their security, but to have everyone survive? Against Lily’s people? Against Lily herself?

It was a new feeling. Her previous groups… it seemed like no matter what they did, they always lost at least one person, one way or another.

The morbid and cold part of her mind said:  _Louis is going to be that one._

No, she refused to believe that. 

She couldn’t… she couldn’t lose another person, not like that. 

Not after everything. 

Not after he stood between her and a gun held by his best friend, his  _brother_. Not after he asked for her forgiveness when it should’ve been her asking. Not after all the tender looks and kind smiles. Not after he named his song after her. Not after they kissed… and not after he risked his life for AJ. 

When he woke up, the first thing Clem would do is thank him. 

And he would smile at her. 

Then, she would kiss him.

“I threatened to blow up his piano once.”

Well, that broke her train of thought. “What?”

“Louis,” Mitch clarified. “He was being a jackass, cracking jokes about…” Mitch paused. “…I don’t even know. Anyway, I threatened to turn his piano into one big firework.” He frowned and flipped the knife. “After that, he guarded the stupid thing with his life every time I was around. Told me that I’d have to blow him up, too.” He scoffed. “Put a fucking sign on the door: ‘No Mitches allowed.’”

Clem grinned. “He does love that piano…”

He examined the stick he was sharpening, blowing dust away. “If it weren’t for him, it’d be firewood by now.” He continued carving at the side. “I’m gonna make more bombs. If you think that explosion last night was badass, just wait.” He smirked. “Those fuckers come back and they’ll be nothing but chunks.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.”

Mitch flipped his knife again. He must’ve been pleased by his handiwork because he gave her the shaved stick. Puzzled, Clem accepted it. She was shocked to see that there were music notes carved into it.

“It’s for the piano,” he explained. “Y’know, to keep the cover thing lifted. The twig in it now looks ready to snap, so…”

Clem gripped the stick firmly. 

He elbowed her. 

“He’s gonna be fine, you know.”

“Are…” Clem eyed him, a small smirk curving on her lips. “Are you trying to cheer me up?”

“Maybe.” Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“That’s… really sweet.”

“Shut up.”

Clem actually giggled. “Thanks, Mitch.”

“Whatever.” He looked away, embarrassed.

“Clem!” AJ came running at her. “Tenn’s here!”

Sure enough, Tenn came down the stairs, heading right towards them. 

Her stomach twisted into an unbreakable knot. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, we’re just gonna give up and go?”
> 
> “I’m not saying that.” Violet rubbed at her neck. “I just… what else can we do?”
> 
> “We can stay and fight-”
> 
> “With what? Omar’s been shot, Louis is fucking useless, Mitch can only make so many bombs with what he has, and the rest of us are going to need way more time to recover from last night!“ Violet explained. 
> 
> “Vi, do you understand what you’re suggesting?”
> 
> “I do, but I’m not, like, saying it’s the right thing to do or what everyone’s gonna agree with, I’m just saying that it’s an option. I mean…” Violet scowled, squeezing her eyes shut and lowering her head. “… if worst comes to worse.”

AJ yanked on her sleeve, pulling her up off the bench she sat upon. “Clem, c’mon!” Without another thought, AJ ran over to meet Tenn.

Usually, she would’ve called after him, scolding him for his impatience, but it seemed as though her voice had become wrapped up in a thick, cold blanket of anxiety.  It traveled through her arms, weakening them until they trembled.

Somethings knocked against the carved stick in her hand. She glanced back at Mitch.

“You goin’?” he asked.

She nodded slowly. With tightened fists and closed, Clem took a deep breath to try and prevent the trembling from becoming obvious.

* * *

 

Mitch watched her walk away. Her posture wasn’t nearly as confident as it was before.

He absently flipped his knife over his thumb.

It fell to the ground.

Fuck.

Rosie’s bark caught his attention. He watched her jump up onto the couch with Omar, dropping the ball in his hand and resting her head on his knee.

Picking up his knife, Mitch dragged himself over to the couch, plopping down on the opposite side.

Omar’s brows knitted in discomfort as he shifted, hand stilling on Rosie’s side.

“You gonna live?” asked Mitch.

“Planning on it,” Omar smirked. “You?”

Mitch rubbed at his sore, bruised knuckles. “Probably.”

“Heh, don’t sound so confident- ugh,” Omar hissed. He reached under his knee and readjusted his leg to a more comfortable position. He grumbled, “Two seconds into the fight and I got knocked out... what a joke.”

Mitch picked at a scab, grimacing at the fresh blood seeping through. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine the face he wailed on in his fury, but nothing came to mind. The only thing he remembered was Tenn begging him to stop. Even to their enemies, the fuckers who kidnapped Sophie and Minnie, his goddamn sisters, the kid was soft.

Not a good thing.

Then again...

A droplet of blood fell to the dirt.

...who was he to say...?

Omar leaned back, cranking his neck to stare up at the sky. “You shouldn’t be messing with your hand,” he said. “Looks pretty fucked.”

He grimaced. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if he didn’t over do it. But, dragging the bodies out one at a time and throwing them into a pile did a number on the already painful digits.

Carving with his knife hadn’t helped, either.

But...

“It is,” Mitch agreed. “Hurts like hell.”

“Hate to be the guy on the receiving end.”

Mitch scoffed.

“Did Ruby look at it?” Omar motioned to his hand.

“She’s got better things to do. Y’know,” Mitch scowled, “like making sure Louis doesn’t die.”

“...Right.” Omar closed his eyes. “...Right.”

Mitch grabbed the ball and threw it, ignoring the aches. Rosie’s head perked up, but she made no move to chase it. He shook his head, chewing on his lip.

“We needed you out there.”

“I know,” Omar frowned. “I’m sorry.”

Mitch said nothing.

Omar didn’t know what stung worse; the bullet hole in his leg or the guilt gnawing along the edges of his mind and heart.

* * *

 

By the time Clem reached the stairs, AJ was gone, no doubt sprinting towards the dorms and barging into Louis’ room. That would earn AJ an earful about acting like an animal, Clem was sure.

Soon, she found herself hesitating in front of a quiet door. There’s creaking of the wooden floors, then a small whisper from AJ, “Louis...?”

Clem brought her hand up to push on the door.

Her gaze found his face, and it was like someone had grabbed hold of her throat. There wasn’t enough oxygen.

On a single, battered mattress, he lay, visibly trembling. His skin, kissed with bruises, lacked its usual glow. A fresh bandage sat upon his brow and along his temple, only a small amount of blood seeping through. His lip was busted, the gash moving along his chin. His right eye’s nearly swollen over. His shoulder’s wrapped up, but still, blooming welts flower along his collarbone and chest. His wrist had a rope tied around it which linked him to the beaten down nightstand.

A precaution...

Fuck.

Ruby’s there, adjusting the heavy blanket. She placed a hand softly over his damp forehead and let out a little sigh.

And AJ’s slightly hunched over, trying to peer over Ruby’s shoulder without getting too close. His hands were pressed together anxiously.  

When Ruby stepped back and faced them, it’s with a small, hopeful smile. “His fever’s gone down a lot.”

Clem didn’t mean to ignore her. She rushed to Louis’ side, kneeled down and pressed the back of her hand to his cheek. It’s warm, sticky with sweat. Up close, she could see his expression twitching in pain, as though he were trapped in a nightmare. Blotches of deep purple swelled on his skin.

“Oh, God...” she whispered.

His broken lips part with a most, stuttering gasp, followed by a whimper. His head turned slightly into her touch. She had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from breaking.

She felt AJ lean against her.

“He’s gonna live, right, Ruby?” AJ asked eagerly.

“We...we’re not quite outta the woods yet, hon,” Ruby told him. “Just to be safe, we’re keepin’ a close eye on him. But, if he keeps fightin’ then I’m sure everything’s gonna be fine. He’s doin’ way better than he was last night, that’s for sure.”

Even without looking at her Clem could sense just how exhausted Ruby was.

AJ grabbed Louis’ loosely bound hand in both of his.

“Clem?” Ruby’s hand rests lightly on her shoulder.

She managed to turn away and gaze up at her, who motioned for the door.

Clem hesitated. She glanced down at where AJ and Louis’ hands connected before she stood.

Ruby leaned against the face of the door and rubbed at her bloodshot eyes.

“Ruby? Are you okay?” asked Clem.

Ruby nods. “Yeah, I just...” she lowers her voice, “I’ve never had to patch up somethin’ that bad before. Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s breathin.’ I can’t believe it. For a minute there, I thought…” She straightened herself out. “Things... were lookin’ real scary, at first. He lost a lotta blood, and by the time I was done stitchin’ him up, he curled over and just...” Ruby made a motion with her hands, and Clem got the idea. “I sent Aasim to clean himself up.”

“Is he okay? I’m sure that wasn’t… fun.”

“’Bout made him sick, too, poor guy.” Ruby sighed. “He’s a huge help. Wouldn’t have been able to do it myself.  I just didn’t want everyone in here crowding around. I’m… sorry about that, by the way.”

“I understand completely.” Clem bit her lip. “…Has he said anything? Like, has he really woken up at all?”

Ruby shook her head. “Not a word. He was in and out for a while after I sent Aasim away. Vi tried talkin’ to him, told him she had a nice, ripe cantaloupe for him, but he just… stared into nothing before dozin’ off again. I imagine with all the pain he’s in and all those hits to the head, he might not be fully aware of anything for a while.”

Clem glanced down at the floor between them, slowly sucking in a deep breath to calm herself.

“Clem?”

She met Ruby’s eyes, her heart swelling.

“Ruby, I... I can’t tell you how grateful I am. You are so amazing...” She couldn’t help herself. Clem threw her arms around Ruby’s shoulders and held her tight.

“Oh, hon...” Ruby returned the hug, patting Clem’s back.

“Thank you...” Clem mumbled into Ruby’s shoulder.  “Thank you...”

“You don’t hafta thank me, Clem.” Ruby pulled back and offered a kind smile which Clem returned with her own grateful one.

“You saved him. You and Aasim, I…” Clem peered back at Louis and AJ. “You should go rest,” Clem said. “We’ll stay here with him.”

“I could use a little shut-eye,” Ruby admitted. She pointed to the nightstand. “There’s some water and a rag if he starts sweatin’ too much, or gets too hot. There’s more bandages and alcohol, too, if ya need. I won’t be far, just in the next room. Holler if anything happens, alright?”

“Of course.”

Ruby gave Louis one last concerned look before leaving.

Clem turned to see AJ, oddly enough, squeezing his hands around Louis’ wrist, moving the rope up and down, and rubbing at his forearm. “Keep fightin,’” he mumbled. “Just like Ruby said.” He noticed her staring at him with a raised, questioning brow.

AJ looked away, sheepish. “I want him to know we’re here. That way, he won’t be scared to wake up.”

A small, shuddering breath escaped her. Clem moved to the mattress, setting herself down beside it and pulling AJ closer to her.

“Me and Clem are here,” said AJ. He fumbled with each of Louis’ fingers, careful not to agitate a cut sliced in his pinky. “We’re gonna watch over you.” AJ looked up at her expectantly.

“Yeah.” Her voice was small, cracked. “Louis, we’re here.”

Clem reached and pressed a hand carefully over his chest. She stilled, waiting, and soon she felt a beating against her palm from under the blanket. A heavy sigh  trembled through him. She could see goosebumps forming along his one bare shoulder. AJ let go of his hand, tucking it under the blanket and pulling it up closer to Louis’ chin.

“I’m sorry, Louis,” AJ spoke. “I was just scared that man would come back to hurt us. I-I didn’t mean to get grabbed. I’m sorry.” AJ rested his head against Louis’ covered arm. “When you wake up, I’m gonna make it up to you. I promise.”

AJ then grabbed something off the nightstand, and said, “Tenn left these for me.” He lifted the pale purple box of colors and a pad of paper. “Said I should make Louis a card to get better.”

Clem grinned. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“Here,” he tore off a piece of paper and handed it to her. “You, too.”

AJ got to work, inspecting and testing out every color he picked up to make sure it was the perfect shade. Clem, with her blank paper in hand, glanced around the room.

It was... very Louis.

It made her smile.

Of course, if she were being completely honest she was hoping the first time she entered this room the circumstances would be different. 

The walls were covered in musical posters, some from bands she had and hadn’t heard of, as well as some that clearly belonged in the music room. Above the mattress were a series of drawings, most done by Tenn and a few done by Sophie. Clem noticed one in particular of a cantaloupe, and when she squinted, she saw that it was actually a drawing of Louis as a cantaloupe, signed by Tenn himself. Another was a portrait, one much more detailed of a younger him, signed by Sophie.

There were books and clothes scattered around, and, oddly enough, a strange abundance of pillows. Including the large one his head rested upon, Clem counted a total of twenty-five different pillows of all sizes. Most of them were placed on the couch on the opposite side of the room.

Clem leaned over and set the carved stick Mitch gave her against it, admiring the handy work. She was sure Louis would love it. 

Over the arm of the couch rested Louis’ jacket, covered in fresh, dry blood. Pangs of guilt and anxiety shot through her limbs. She could see the tears where the knife cut through.

The paper suddenly felt very heavy in her hand.

* * *

 

Aasim was tying up his boots when Ruby walked in.

He straightened up, eyeing her. She leaned back against the door with a heavy sigh.

“Clem’s with him. Her and AJ are gonna stay awhile.” Ruby thought to herself a brief moment. “She seemed awful eager to see him.”

“Oh,” was all Aasim could think to say. He cleared his throat, fumbling with his sleeve. “Um, well… she’s just worried, I guess?” He mentally cursed himself. “I mean, we’re all worried.”

She tilted her head, considering. “Maybe… somethin’ just seemed different. I dunno. Guess it doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah…” Aasim replied, lamely. He racked his brain for something else to say.  

Ruby didn’t seem to notice his internal struggle. She sat on the bed opposite of him and rested her chin in her hands. She crinkled her nose at the amount of grime covering the floors. This room was unoccupied. She couldn’t remember who used it before, but she knew it’s been a long, long time since then. But, as much as she’d prefer her own bed, this room was the closest to Louis’. She didn’t have time to come barrelling down the halls if Clem called for her.

She glanced up at Aasim, who, she noticed, had taken an interest in the strings of his hoodie. It was different, she noted, a burgundy with some odd logo on it. A nice, complementing shade on him.

“Did your shirt survive?” she asked.

“Huh?” Aasim’s head shot up. “Oh, uh, no. It’s pretty ruined. I’ll just throw it out.”

“Throw it out? That’s wasteful. All it needs is a good scrubbing,” Ruby frowned. “If it’s too much for you, I can wash it later.”

“No! You don’t have to! I can scrub it!” Aasim blurted. “That’s a thing... I can do. Yeah...” Before he could make an ass of himself anymore, he hopped to his feet, straightening out his hoodie. “You should rest. After everything, I can’t imagine how tired you must be.”

Ruby gazed out through the curtains of the window. “Tired enough to pass out while the sun’s still shinin’.”

Concern tugged at his features. “You gonna be okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just worried ‘bout everything... Louis, the raiders, the rest of us... God, what a fucking mess.”

“Seriously.” Aasim stood, stretching his arms over his head, trying to loosen himself up after a short rest. He headed for the door but was stopped by Ruby’s soft voice.

“Aasim?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you,” Ruby smiled, “'fer steppin’ up and helpin’ me. It’s not that I don’t trust the others, it’s just... I know that they can be difficult, and they wouldn’t always listen to me. I mean, can you imagine Mitch or Vi helpin’? You heard them bickerin’ out there. Anyway,” she glanced up at him, warmth spreading across her cheeks. “It... was very sweet. I don’t think I coulda done it without you.”

Thousands of words.

Thousands that wracked his brain.

Thousands of them that he could’ve picked.

Thousands of things he could’ve said to express what a real, kind, beautiful hero Ruby was.

And he went with, “...Cool.”

_Fucking fuckity fuck-_

Ruby’s sweet smile turned confused. He was sure that the panic was obvious on his face.

“I-I mean... uh... yeah...” He gave her a thumbs up.

And, suddenly, he wished he was dead.

His head fell forward and his shoulders slumped in defeat. He lazily pointed at her. “You need sleep. And I need to scrub that shirt. So, we’ll do that and... that’s that.”

He didn’t wait for a reply. He was gone, cursing at himself all the way down the hallway, leaving Ruby alone, puzzled, wondering if she said something wrong.

* * *

 

A string of hushed profanities echoed in the hall. A little alarming, Clem thought, until she also heard Violet’s voice.

“Woah, Aasim, watch it.”

Violet entered with a soft knock, peeking in.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey.”

“Hi, Vi,” AJ peered up from his drawing, giving Violet a small wave.

She entered the room, arms crossed and the worry clear on her face.

“I thought you were going to lie down?” Clem asked.

Violet shrugged half-heartedly. “I tried. Couldn’t do it. Too much to think about.”

Clem understood completely. She herself was running on about two hours of sleep, maybe. She scooted over and patted the spot beside her. As Violet sat, AJ proudly showed them his drawing.

“What do you think? Looks like him, huh?”

Clem grinned, taking the drawing and looking it over. It was certainly Louis, from the dreads on his head down to the boots on his feet. Clem praised him, “You definitely got his smile right.”

“He’ll love it,” Violet agreed. “You’re becoming quite the artist.”

“Like Tenn?”

“Like Tenn.”

AJ beamed. He went back to work. “I’m gonna add us, too, so that he’s not alone.”

“Great idea.”

A groan vibrated from the bed.

They froze.

Louis peered at them through slitted eyes, unfocused and watery. A tiny tear slowly slid down his cheek as they fluttered.

AJ’s hand was on his arm in an instant. “Louis?” he asked.

Clem quickly reached over and carefully grabbed the bowl of water and the towel. She rung out the towel and pressed it lightly over his less swollen cheek. He flinched away from the touch, grunting. 

“It’s okay,” she murmured. “It’s just me.”

His teeth ground together, locking his jaw as he turned his head away from her. She pressed the cool rag against his neck. 

Violet noticed the tremble in her wrist but said nothing.

“He looks mad,” AJ noted. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” replied Clem. “He’s probably having a nightmare.”

“Probably because he got stabbed,” said Violet. “Twice. I’d be pissed, too.”

AJ reached over and poked Louis’ cheek. 

“AJ!” Clem scolded. 

“What?”

“Don’t jab him like that.”

“I’m just trying to wake him up,” AJ frowned. 

“It’s not that easy, kiddo.” Clem sighed. She pulled the rag away and set it aside without moving away from the mattress. She brushed aside one of his dreads covering his eyes and lay the back of her hand against his jaw. The coolness of her fingers seemed to somewhat relax him. 

Violet watched curiously as Clem leaned back, eyes closed, a look of... 

Huh.

That’s familiar, she thought. 

But, now wasn’t the time to address that...

“Clementine,” Violet said suddenly with a serious look. “We... we need to talk about what happens next.”

“Right...” 

“We need a plan,” Violet started. “Everything’s just so fucked right now, and the others are talking. Mitch is already making more bombs, but he’s running out of materials. And Omar’s leg isn’t letting him move around all that much. He says that he can still cook, but that’s about it. Willy and Tenn are pretty shaken up, too. And Louis...” Violet cursed to herself,  “I mean, fuck, Clem, who knows where he is?”

AJ quirked a confused brow. “He’s right here.”

“What I mean-” Violet let out a frustrated sigh. “Who knows where he is in his brain? He’s barely conscious, and when he is awake, it’s like he’s not… really there. He doesn’t say anything, he can barely move, his eyes....” Violet paused.

“I know,” Clem said. “But, he’s alive. Louis is stronger than you think. He’ll wake up. We’re all just freaked out. But, we won, Vi. Lily and those assholes are dead.”

“Yeah...but, that doesn’t mean it’s over. Clem, there’s a whole community of them.” Violet argued. “If they come back for us, there’s not much we can do to protect him, or ourselves.   And...” Violet stopped, suddenly discouraged.

“What?”

“And...if we leave...”

“Leave?” asked Clem, astonished.

“Yes, leave,” Violet said, “If we have to leave, escape, whatever, how are we supposed to carry him?“

“Wait,” Clem completely turned towards her. “You want to leave?”

“There will be more of them, Clem. They’ll come looking for Lily and the others with more guns and more cages. And when they find out we killed them?” Violet scoffed.  “We were lucky the first time. The odds of us pulling it off again aren’t the same as they were before.”

“So, we’re just gonna give up and go?”

“I'm not saying that.” Violet rubbed at her neck. “I just... what else can we do?”

“We can stay and fight-”

“With what? Omar’s been shot, Louis is fucking useless, Mitch can only make so many bombs with what he has, and the rest of us are going to need way more time to recover from last night!“ Violet explained.  

“Vi, do you understand what you’re suggesting?”

“I do, but I’m not, like, saying it’s the right thing to do or what everyone’s gonna agree with, I’m just saying that it’s an option. I mean...” Violet scowled, squeezing her eyes shut and lowering her head. “... if worst comes to worse.”

Clem was astonished. “Of all people, I never thought you’d even consider that. Vi, you were the one who stepped up, remember? To do what Marlon couldn’t? To protect us?”

“I know!” exclaimed Violet. “Believe me. I want to fight. I want to stay here. We have walls, we have shelter, we have hunting grounds! This is home! And...” Violet hesitated, finally meeting Clem’s eyes. “...You were right. We have no fucking idea what it’s like out there. We’ve been here since the beginning. I don’t know where we’d go or how we’d get there. The odds of us finding somewhere like Erikson…? It’s fucking terrifying. But, the only option is to fight, and I don’t know if that’ll be worth it again.” 

“We’re leaving?” AJ’s panicked eyes darted back and forth between them. He’d been so quiet that Clem actually forgot he was listening in.

“No,” Clem told him. “We’re not. At least, not if we don’t have to.”

“Fuck...” grumbled Violet. 

A knock on the door interrupted the tension. 

“Vi?” Tenn’s timid voice came from behind the door. “It’s your watch.”

Violet groaned. “I’ll be right there,” she called. When she looked at Clem, her face had gone from upset to guilty. 

“I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...” she shook her head. “We can talk later, okay?”

Clem’s expression softened. “Yeah.”

“I’ll send someone to take over-”

“No,” AJ interrupted. “We’re gonna stay here. We’re sleeping over.”

“Oh?” Violet looked to Clem, who firmly nodded. 

“Don’t worry about us, or him. And, let Rudy rest for as long as she needs. We’re okay to stay.”

Something strange crossed over Violet’s features. It looked as though she were trying to put puzzle pieces together. 

“Well... in that case, I’ll have someone bring you dinner later.”

“Thanks, Violet.”

As she left, it occurred to her. That look in Clementine's eyes was one Violet had seen before. 

Minnie used to look at her the same way every time she’d gotten hurt.

* * *

 

They spent the night in Louis’ room. Clem ended up on the couch since AJ insisted on sleeping on the floor next to the mattress. He piled up a bunch of pillows and spread himself over them, claiming they were more comfortable than any bed.

Tenn brought them their dinner. AJ tried to entice Louis awake with the smell of rabbit stew, but Louis didn’t budge. Clem told him to not get discouraged. Louis would wake up eventually, and when he did, he was sure to be starving. 

Clem didn’t know how much sleep he got. She could see him reaching over every once and a while to touch Louis’ hand, trying to get some sort of reaction.

And every time... nothing.  

But, that night, angry clouds formed in the night sky and thunder threatened the area. Soon, rain dripped lazily down, scattered and unassuming. The wind barely blew.

By the time morning came, it was a total downpour.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “AJ,” Clem turned herself around to fully face him. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
> 
> “Is it bad?” he asked warily.
> 
> “No, not at all,” she bit her lip. She didn’t want to beat around the bush. He’d find out about it anyway if he hadn’t already figured it out by now. Although, her initial plan had been to tell him together with Louis… but, that currently wasn’t an option. “Those initials stand for ‘Clementine and Louis,’” she explained.
> 
> It took him a second to register her words.
> 
> “And there’s a heart around them because we’re together now.”

\---

The icy grey sky grumbled restlessly. The thick, blackened clouds were dragged down by the heavy rain which it held. Jagged flashes of pure light cast a glow through the trees and down on the school, nearly blinding in the contrast of the darkness covering them. It wasn't just rain that fell, it was a downpour heavier than anything Clementine had ever seen. Walking through a waterfall would’ve felt lighter compared to this. 

She grew worried while watching the droplets thump against the window, seemingly with the intent of breaking it. That’s all they needed; a broken window to let the storm sweep them away.

It’d been like this all morning. Sleeping in was impossible with the violent cracks of thunder rumbling through the school. When she woke up, she found AJ climbing atop Louis’ nightstand and cautiously peeking out the window with his gun raised, tense, ready. 

He calmed down after she convinced him the raiders weren’t back for them. He went back to his spot on the floor with a wide yawn.

She sat beside them both now, one hand resting atop of Louis’ arm while the other held a cup of gross, bitter coffee, courtesy of AJ.

“It’s scary out there,” he commented, “and loud. Won’t it bring more monsters?”

Clem shrugged a shoulder. “If it does, we’ll take care of them when the storm passes. We don’t have to worry about that now. The gate’s holding up and we still have our walls.”

AJ leaned against the mattress with a huff, eyeing Louis’ sleeping form. “Loud enough to wake the monsters, but not you...” 

Clem’s thumb ran over a scar on Louis’ knuckle. The swelling on his face had gone down, but the bruising only seemed to darken. His bandages were freshly changed, courtesy of Ruby, and from what she said, his stab wounds weren’t infected. Ruby said they would heal nicely so long as they were kept in check. His fever had gone down, too. His skin didn’t glisten with uncomfortable sweat like it did yesterday. 

She turned her attention to AJ. The pout on his face was enough to cause a tightening in her chest. 

“Why don’t you go find Tenn?” she suggested. “Maybe you guys could play together.”

“No, I wanna stay here.” 

“AJ-”

“I’m okay right here, really,” he told her.  He rose to his feet and moved to pick up one of the books laying on the floor. He plopped back down on his pillow and opened the book where he attempted to read out loud. And, honestly, it made Clem cringe. The book was way above his skill level and none of the sentences leaving his lips made any sense. 

Her legs became sore with invisible needles pricking at them. She’d been there all morning, listening to the storm and waiting. She had wanted to leave for a while, to help the others, to figure out a plan, but couldn’t bring herself to do so. 

Louis stirred in the bed. He’d been moving more and more this morning, she noticed, and every time she’d set her mug aside and lean in with her palm pressed against his chest. 

But still, he didn’t open his eyes. 

* * *

 

“Fucking hell-!” 

The front door to the school slammed shut, the sound echoing through the halls just as harshly as the profanities leaving Mitch’s mouth. He’d only been out there a few minutes to let Rosie out and check the gates and he was absolutely drenched. His eyes burned from the wetness that dripped from his bangs. Beside him, Rosie shook dry. Mitch followed suit. 

“Stop!” Ruby protested with a scowl. She threw a dry towel at Mitch, successfully hitting him in the face. 

“Hey-!”

“Yer gettin’ the floors all wet!”

“So?”

“Don’t  _‘so?’_ me! They’ll get slick and someone’ll get hurt! We don’t need any more injuries right now!”

“Whatever.” Mitch rolled his eyes, pushing back his hair and drying his face with the towel. 

Violet approached him. “Are there any walkers out there?”

“Not that I could see, but who knows? Can barely see two inches in front of you. It’s a fucking hurricane out there.”

“Doesn’t look like it’ll let up anytime soon, either,” said Aasim as he peered out the windows. 

Violet nodded, thinking out loud, “That’s good.”

“Good?” Mitch scoffed. “Yeah, until the fucking wind knocks a tree into us or some shit. On top of that, how are we supposed to check the traps or go hunting?”

“We have food. We have plenty left over from the place we scavenged weeks ago,” she said. “And this storm could be a blessing in disguise.”

“Says you,” complained Omar from his spot on the couch. He was still a little damp from last night. He’d been left outside when it started to rain and had to hop to the door. Needless to say, he was soaked by the time Aasim found him struggling up the stairs on his good leg. 

“What I mean is the odds of the raider’s coming for us right now has lowered significantly. They might not even be suspicious yet. They might think that their people got caught in the storm and had to wait it out.”

“Which buys us more time to come up with a plan,” added Aasim. 

“A plan of attack,” Mitch agreed.

“Or,” sighed Violet, “otherwise.”

“Otherwise?”

Violet shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. “We’ll get into the gory details when everyone’s here. Right now, someone should go on watch upstairs. Just because we think we’re lucky doesn’t mean we are. Can’t get careless now.”

“I can do it,” Omar offered. “Just need someone to help me up there. Y’know, so I don’t come tumbling down.”

“I’ll help you,” Aasim volunteered, turning away from the window.

"Thanks, man.”

“I’m gonna do some digging, see if I can find anything useful down in the basement,” Mitch handed Ruby the towel and headed off down the hall. 

“Like?” Ruby asked. 

“Like anything useful.”

“Smart ass,” Ruby scoffed. 

“Ruby, why don’t you check in on Louis-”

“Wah!”

Violet was interrupted by a hard thud by the door. She and Ruby whirled around to find Aasim on his back with Rosie barking at him. He groaned when she tried kissing his face.

“Shit, Aasim, are you okay?” Violet asked. 

Aasim didn’t say anything. He just gave a long, hard sigh and threw his arm over his eyes.  

He did not just fucking do that.

Ruby, hands planted firmly on her hips, turned back to glare down the hall where a series of quiet snickers could be heard. “Mitch!”

“Oh yeah, it’s my fault he’s a dumbass!” Mitch called back. 

“I told ya not to soak the floor for a reason! God, can’t you think of someone else fer a change?”

Mitch didn’t reply.

He just stomped away and disappeared into one of the rooms. 

Ruby let out an exasperated sigh, moving over to Aasim, who had prayed she would just forget he existed. Which, of course, she didn’t because that’s just who she was. She was an angel and he was a fool. 

_A goddamn fool._

When he didn’t move, she kneeled beside him and asked, “You didn’t hit yer head or anythin’, didja?”

“Just leave me here,” he muttered. 

Aasim turned away from Rosie, who tried to continue her assault on his face. 

“C’mon now,” Ruby shooed Rosie away and grabbed his hand, noticing how he stiffened. She pulled him up. “Yer gonna be soaked through if you stay down there.”

Her concerned eyes darted over his face.

She didn’t let go.

_Fuck._

He cleared his throat. “Right... thanks.” 

He didn’t know what spread the heat across his skin faster: the fact that he literally just did a fucking pratfall in front of his friends, or that Ruby  _was holding his hand_. 

Now on his feet and mortified, Aasim slipped free of her grasp and tried to strut away like he hadn’t left his dignity back in that puddle. 

“Um, hello? You were gonna carry me up the stairs, remember?” Omar called after him. 

Aasim stopped, head thrown back with a sigh. “Dude, I said I’d help you. I’m not carrying you.”

“Why not?” Violet smirked. “It’d be romantic.”

“ _Dude_.”

Omar chuckled, playfully winking at Aasim. 

Aasim glared at both of them. 

“Carry your own ass up the stairs.” 

Ruby watched him sulk off, worried and a bit irritated with Omar and Violet. “Don’t go too far,” she called after him. “Need’ja upstairs with me.”

Aasim weakly waved his hand in acknowledgment.

When he was out of sight, Ruby crossed her arms and shot Violet a stern look. “Was that necessary?”

“I was just kidding,” Violet smirked. “Don’t worry, I don’t think Omar’s gonna come in and swoop him off his feet. You’re in the clear.”

“What?”

“I could if I wanted to, though,” Omar piped in, “but, he’s not my type.”

Ruby stared between the two of them and their knowing grins. “What’re you two even sayin’?”

“Nothing,” Violet shrugged innocently.

Growing more irked with every passing second, Ruby said, “Fine. I’m goin’ upstairs to give those two a rest.”

“I’m sure they could use it,” Violet sighed. “They’ve been cooped up in there since yesterday morning.“

“Wait,” Omar said. He scooted forward, wincing as he managed to stand. “Since you’re going up anyway, wanna give me a hand? Doesn’t look like Aasim’s coming back for me.”

“Not surprisin’,” Ruby mumbled. “Fine. But, I’m not carryin’ you. I’ll keep ya steady.” She helped him hobble with his arm over her shoulder.

Violet watched them climb the stairs before she approached the window, carefully sidestepping the puddle.

Mitch had been right. She could barely see anything. Even when she wiped at the cloudiness fogging up the glass, it was nothing but dark, blurry wetness. 

* * *

 

_“...If I could take it back, I would. I knew that the day you got back...”  
_

_The way he looked at her..._

_“...I still do.”  
_

The tip of the pencil drifted lazily across the blank paper without any real purpose.

_“...I forgive you.”_

Little squiggles. Circles. Crosshatched lines.

_He smirked._

_“Just so you know, I’m totally laughing out loud when you miss.”_

A heart.

_She missed._

_Again._

_And again._

She traced the heart over, darkening it.

_“Told you you couldn’t be worse than me.”_

She shaded it in.

_“Good news...”  
_

_He smiled.  
_

_“We’re the worst together.”_

“Clem, look!”

Broken out of her thoughts, she cocked her head to see AJ holding up his drawing with a proud smile. 

Clem took the paper and admired it. After AJ became quickly frustrated with reading, he tossed the book away and went back to adding the finishing touches on his drawing for Louis. 

He added Clem and himself beside Louis, all three of them with smiles that spread from ear to ear. Even the sun had a smile. In the background was a purple house with a red door and lots of misshapen trees.

While he did that, Clem planted herself at Louis’ desk. She needed a break from sitting on the floor and the desk was close enough that she could still see Louis’ face. 

“This is beautiful, AJ,” she complimented. She set it atop the desk. “We’ll set it here and show it to him when he wakes up.” 

He peeked over her shoulder. “What did you draw him?” he asked. 

“Uh-”

AJ snatched the paper from the desk. He stared at it, brow raised quizzically. 

“C... T L? Ct-ctl?” he tried sounding it out. He frowned. “That’s not a word.”

“I know,” she said. “They’re initials.”

“In...inish...”

“Initials. You know, like how ‘AJ’ is the initials for ‘Alvin Jr.’“

“Oh,” he nodded. 

“AJ,” Clem turned herself around to fully face him. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Is it bad?” he asked warily.

“No, not at all,” she bit her lip. She didn’t want to beat around the bush. He’d find out about it anyway if he hadn’t already figured it out by now. Although, her initial plan had been to tell him together with Louis... but, that wasn’t currently an option. “Those initials stand for ‘Clementine and Louis,” she explained.

It took him a second to register her words.

“And there’s a heart around them because we’re together now.”

AJ’s mouth popped open. “Oh!”  

“Do you understand?” Clem asked. 

Then, AJ gasped. Clem could see that the turning gears had clicked. He grabbed her arm, pulling her up from her chair.

“Clem! I have an idea!” AJ bounced excitedly.

“Huh?”

AJ dragged her over to the mattress and pulled her down with him. 

“Okay, okay, remember that one story you used to tell me? The one from that book?” he asked.

Clem frowned. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Louis shift. Instinctively, she placed her hand on his arm.

“The one with the girl who died? The lady killed her with the apple? And- and there were a bunch of tiny people and birds and-”

“You mean Snow White?”

AJ pointed at her. “That one! Yeah! Remember, after she died the prince came in and kissed her?”

She knew where this was going.

“AJ-”

“You’re the prince!”

“I’m not kissing Louis right now.” 

“But, maybe it’ll wake him up!”

“Not how that works-”

“How do you know?” he pouted. “We could try!”

”That’s just a story, AJ, a fairytale,” she explained. “He isn’t under some spell.”

“But... “

Clem wrapped her other arm around AJ’s shoulders.  “Listen, I know... I know you want Louis to wake up. So do I.” She slid her hand down Louis’ forearm and intertwined their fingers. 

AJ leaned against her. “Because you... um, like-like him?” 

A dry laugh.

She stilled.

Her eyes shot open.

“Like-like, huh?”

The hand she held gripped back. 

Louis turned his head, peeking an eye open at her. 

And when he smiled at her, half-lidded and drowsy, it was like the sun lit itself in her stomach and spread its warmth through her veins. 

The shaky gasp that escaped her lips shook her core. 

“Louis!” AJ exclaimed. He yanked himself away from Clem and leaned over the bed. 

“Hey, little dude,” Louis murmured. 

“You-you-” Clem stuttered, “you’re awake!” Her hands found his face and she brought their foreheads together. “Oh my God, you’re awake!”

Louis winced as his smile grew, the movement straining the gash in his lip. 

“Clem...” he sighed. His eyes fluttered as he leaned into her touch. 

“AJ, go get Ruby!”

“What? But-”

“Now!” 

AJ frowned, sadly looking over at Louis, who nudged him with his good hand. “Go ahead. I’m not going anywhere.”

AJ, conflicted, glanced at the door. Then, he gave a firm nod and dashed towards the door. “Ruby!” he shouted, turning to run down the hallway. 

“Lou,” Clem kissed his forehead then trailed her lips down his less bruised cheek. “Fuck, I’m so glad you’re okay.” 

“Me, too.” He tried shifting up, but the pain stopped him. He grunted as it shot up his spine. 

“Don’t do that,” she pulled back, trying to still him. “You’re still wounded.”

“Pfft,” he chuckled. “I’m fine.”

“Tell that to your wounds.”

“Wounds, I’m fine.”

“Not funny.”

Louis chuckled before going into a coughing fit. He hacked, covering his mouth with his good hand. Clem snatched the water bottle by the mattress. “Shit, here-” She repositioned herself to help him sit up. He did his best to move with her without putting too much strain on his side and shoulder. She grabbed another pillow, resting it behind his head. She brought the water bottle to his lips. 

He could only swallow very little at a time. Eventually, he calmed down, the coughing gone. He offered an appreciative grin. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” she returned the smile. She brushed a dread away from his face. Her eyes fell closed as she spoke, “God, I was so worried.”

“Why? I’m fine.”

“ _Louis_.”

He kissed the back of her hand lightly. “ _Clementine_.” 

Clem shook her head, tightening her hold on him. “You... you almost died,” she whispered, “you just... fuck, Lou, I...”

“Hey...” 

She looked at him. 

He smiled. 

“I’m here,” he murmured. “And you’re here.  So is AJ. We’re all alive.”

“You saved him,” her voice quivered, “and she almost killed you.”

He became still, expression growing confused as he processed her words.

Her lips brushed his cheek as she lingered close, whispering, “What you did, risking yourself to save him... I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay that.” Clem explained. Her hand slid up to his neck where his pulse beat heavily against her fingertip.

He exhaled slowly, breath shaky. 

“Thank you...”

Clem felt his hand move over hers, and for a moment panic set in as he lifted it off his skin. Then, he entwined their fingers and pressed the back of her hand against his chest, against his fluttering heart. Their noses brushed, and for once, whether it be his drowsy state or her mere presence, it seemed that Louis was at a loss for words, but that was okay.

His lips said everything.

It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested along the curve of her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. Her fingers ghosted over the bruising carefully before curving them his neck. She pulled him closer until there was no space left between them and kissed him... kissed him like she couldn’t get enough.

“Clem…  _my shoulder_ ,” he winced.

Clem’s heart leaped in her chest. She jerked back, their lips parting with a light  _smack_. “Shit-!” Before she could inspect his shoulder to see if she caused any damage in the heat of the moment, AJ’s voice echoed in the halls. 

“Come on! Faster! You’re too slow!” 

“Geez, kid!” 

AJ came barrelling to the room pulling an exasperated Aasim by his sleeve. Ruby followed close behind.  

Clem sat back, trying to force away any flustered embarrassment off her face. However, Louis didn’t try as hard. 

The grin on his face was ear to ear. 

“Louis!” Ruby smiled. 

“Must be my birthday,” Louis winked at Clem, then pointed at Aasim. “There’s even a clown.”

Aasim scowled, crossing his arms. “Go back into your coma.”

“A snappy one, too, geez.” 

“Oh, hush, both of ya.” 

Clem was hesitant to leave Louis’ side but did so that Ruby could take her place. She stuck close and intensely watched everything Ruby did. Whenever AJ would get too close, she had to pull him back so that Ruby wouldn’t scold him. 

“Give it to me straight, Doc,” Louis grimaced as Ruby checked his shoulder. “Am I gonna live?”

“Yer awake, yer not slurrin’ too much, and healin’ up pretty good,” Ruby eyed him, “how much do you remember?”

Louis’ frowned, eyes fluttering shut. “I... I actually... don’t remember that much. That... that woman...”

Clem inched closer. “Lily?”

He said nothing else. His head dipped forward and he grunted. Ruby held him up. “Louis?”

“Uh... erm, sorry, I just...” he cringed, “I... don’t...”

“You need to lie down.”

“I’m sick of lying down,” he grumbled. 

“Too bad,” Ruby said. “Aasim?” 

Aasim was there in an instant. Together, they helped Louis lie back down. Aasim tucked a pillow under Louis’ bad arm.

“Stay like that,” Ruby commanded. “Do you think you could keep anythin’ down?”

“Down?”

“Food-wise.”

"Maybe?” He tapped his chin. “Now that you mention it... I do kind of feel like I could eat an entire family of rabbits.”

Ruby nodded, turning to Aasim. “I’ll grab somethin’. Stay with him?”

Aasim shrugged. He pulled Louis’ desk chair out and brought it closer to the mattress. 

Ruby took that as a ‘yes.’ “By the way, Clem? Vi wanted to talk to ya.”

Clem glanced at Louis, who grinned up at her. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “AJ and Nurse Aasim will keep me plenty entertained.”

“Ugh.”

Clem crossed her arms, staring Aasim down. He stiffened under her intense stare. She then turned to AJ, who made himself comfortable by Louis’ side. “Keep an eye on these two, yeah?” 

AJ gave her a thumbs up. 

As Clem was leaving, she heard AJ say, “Louis, I made this for you.” She turned to see AJ hand him the drawing.

“Wow!” Louis coughed. “You did this?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s awesome, little dude!” Another cough. “I love it! Nurse, look at this!”

“The head needs to be bigger.”

“ _Hey_!”

Clem rolled her eyes. She met with Ruby in the hallway. 

“He seems like his chipper self,” she noticed. 

“He’s getting there.”

“Just glad he’s alive. Like, really alive, not just...”

“Lying there?”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah.” She peered through the doorway, a tiny smile betraying on her lips.

Clem noticed.

“Ruby?”

“Hm?”

“What’s up?”

Ruby shook her head. “Nothin’, just... admirin’ Aasim’s shirt, I guess.”

Clem cocked a brow. “Oh?” She hadn’t even noticed he was wearing anything different.

“It’s a nice color on him. Makes him look less like a sourpuss.”

Clem smirked. “Why don’t you tell him that? That you like it?”

Ruby pondered the thought. “I should, shouldn’t I?” she grinned. “He’s had a rough mornin.’”

“I can tell. That would certainly make it better,” Clem encouraged.

“Alright,” Ruby nodded, mind made up. “Go check in with Vi and the others. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“Thank, Ruby.”


End file.
